Up until a few years back, I was dreaming of painting beautiful paintings, and I always complained that I was too busy to put any effort into realising this dream. What I did not recognise at the time, was that I was playing the victim, I was giving my power away to less important things. Things like TV, people who I placed on pedestals of importance, business with work and of course always being tired, and having a thousand other excuses of why I could not spend any time making my dream as an artist to come true.
One of these excuses was that because I couldn't study art, I did not have the qualifications of an artist, and this in turn meant that I couldn't be an artist, "because only qualified artists know how to create beautiful art..." The other fear I entertained, was the fear of living in poverty, because society teach you by example that mosts artists are struggling to make a living because they are mediocre, and only the best artists make good money. I felt deep inside that would never achieve that status because it was too late for me!
Another belief that kept me firmly out of reach with my dream was that inspiration is really hard to come by. The feeling of inspiration was fleeting and I had to sacrifice everything just to hold on to that wisp of artistic flair that would occasionally pop up for me that would allow me just enough "juice" to produce something worth while to hang on my wall. But if I took on too big a project, I would eventually surrender to my self-sabotage and give up. The inspiration would fade away and my boredom and apathy would creep back in, resulting in paintings that I would never finish. Looking at the graveyard of unfinished works of art in my past, would only reinforce the ideas I already held and I would just slip back into old patterns of ignorance and defeat. Let's face it, I simply was not an artist. It was just to hard!
But how did I come to my current success? Well, the first thing that changed for me was I had to recognise that I was giving my power away to a lot of limiting beliefs and self created situations. First I was forced to deal with all the areas in my life where I was living with a belief of self-entrapment. Life presented me through a series of events with the opportunities to choose differently. Was it easy? No. Was it impossible? No! But here is the thing. If you desire something badly enough in your life, something possitive, something soul enriching, that desire IS the confirmation that the destination is there! And when you ask the universe, eventually you won't have a choice but to move your life into allignment with your dreams. This is what happened to me.
Once I dealt with all my excuses, fears and crutches that kept me from picking up the brush, a "correct thinker" and a "muse" entered my life. The muse was Whitney Freya, a self-taught artist from the United States who entered my life at the right stage who became my catalyst. It is said that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. This was the case for me. Whitney helped me to recognise and to embrace my artists within, through a daily practice of spending time with the things I love most: paint, brushes and the canvas. It became a porthole of wonder and self-realisation for me. Most important of all, is it was Whitney who proved to me that it is possible to be an amazing, unique artist without a formal art education. It was also her method of teaching that introduced me to on-line education, and with that a whole new world opened up to me.
At the same time that I embraced my own artist within, a creative thinker, Elizabeth Gilbert and her amazing book called "Big magic - living a creative life beyond fear" entered my life. This amazing book helped me to recognize even more deeply, my artist spirit whithin. I learned that inspiration is always available, abundantly so, and that it becomes even more so, the more you open yourself up to it. It helped me to recognize that all the fears about being an artist was just "bullshit" that a fearful society projects out onto each other because it is "safe in a world where you don't have to be original", it is "safe to just blend in with the crowd". Well I finally had the courage to say: "to hell with that!"
I finally broke free from my own matrix of self-limitations and like Neo from the Matrix movie started to "bend my own space and time" to my own will and needs. Now I yield the power in my creative life. I decide what I do and when I do it. I get to decide how much time I spend on which activity! This is what it feels like to live with big magic. It is very powerful indeed!
So what is the secret to my success? DAILY PRACTICE. To dedicate time every day with my craft is the biggest factor that led to my current success. Getting rid of distractions like TV. Making sure that I include time in my daily schedule for my craft ensures I have the time available to engage with my art. So many people I know say they dream to paint like me, but they "don't have the time..." and I hear myself say: "that was me a few years ago... giving my power away to excuses. But not any more!" If you want to paint like me, you have to make time to go to the canvas and paint! Even if you were "a born artist" with the biggest talent on the planet you would still have to make the time in your life to paint!
Here is the biggest lie we believe and tell ourselves about art: THAT IT SHOULDN'T BE SO DIFFICULT... AND BECAUSE YOU FIND IT DIFFICULT IT MEANS YOU SHOULDN'T PERSUE AND PERSIST UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT! BECAUSE IF YOU WHERE AN ARTIST IT WOULD BE EASY FOR YOU! NONSENCE! Anything worth doing takes time and practice, and simetimes a dash of hard headed persistence until we get it right, pays off big time! So the question we should be asking is not whether or not you CAN paint, but rather, how badly you wish to experience the joy of creating!
So, what has all this got to do with my online art school? Well, this is just another huge step for me in living my big creative dream, but this is also where I become a muse and creative thinking coach for you! If you want to break free from your self-sabotage and self-limitations, then that is exactly what my art school will provide for you. All of the courses and lesson plans that I make available on my academy has but one goal: to empower and to activate the artist within YOU!
Here is the good news, my next course at my academy is now available for an early bird enrollment. "Paint the Orca in watercolour" course is now available for a mere R90! But this ridiculously low fee will only be available till midnight on the 15th of December SAST. Thereafter the course launches on the 16th of December for a limited time at the price of R180! From the 1st of January 2019, this course will be available at it's full price of R450! So why wait? Now is your chance to take charge and stimulate your artist withinin and push your fears aside and allow the Orca to guide you as you take a leap of faith!
I challenge you to make 2019 the year you step outside of your fear, and to become a fearless artist. Let me show you how!
Go now and enroll at my online art school by clicking on the following link:
Paint the Orca in watercolour
Also visit my website to learn more about my business here:
Gideonslight website
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